Culinistashttp://www.businessinsider.com/category/culinistas
en-usFri, 09 Dec 2016 20:22:33 -0500Fri, 09 Dec 2016 20:22:33 -0500The latest news on Culinistas from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/exotic-culinary-tours-2013-1The Best Food Tours Around The World This Yearhttp://www.businessinsider.com/exotic-culinary-tours-2013-1
Tue, 15 Jan 2013 20:18:00 -0500Sarah Gold
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/50eb10b2ecad042714000002-400-/spices-india-micato-safaris.jpg" border="0" alt="spices india micato safaris" width="400" /></p><p>When <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/tiffany">Tiffany</a> Sommer began organizing a group trip to India this past October, she knew that the focus had to be on food.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Food in India is such an enormous part of daily life,&rdquo; says the Utah-based corporate-event planner. &ldquo;Families spend hours a day preparing dishes and eating together&hellip;the colors and the smells of cooking are just everywhere.&rdquo;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/exotic-culinary-tours-2013-1#artisans-of-leisure-vietnam-1"><strong>Jump ahead to see these exotic food tours &gt;</strong></a></p>
<p>Consequently, she made sure that the bespoke itinerary organized for her by Micato Safaris included such memorable food experiences as cooking demonstrations, trips to local spice markets and meals that showcased chefs&rsquo; distinct regional specialties.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It was a full sensory experience,&rdquo; Sommer says of the culinary forays. &ldquo;I know we all came away with a deeper appreciation of where we&rsquo;d been.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Many travelers already understand that cuisine provides a particularly vivid peek into the inner workings of a culture. More and more, however, tour operators are offering trips that specifically cater to their guests&rsquo; desire to taste&mdash;and cook&mdash;their way through a destination. These newer excursions go far beyond familiar gastronomic pilgrimages to Tuscany.</p>
<p>Hungry globetrotters are keen to visit goat-cheese producers in Iceland, with the likes of food writer and chef Jody Eddy; sample street food in Vietnam on a trip with Artisans of Leisure; or press their own olive oil in Egypt during a journey with Backpacker Concierge.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Even people who eat adventurously at home find that their experience is completely different&rdquo; when traveling to a cuisine&rsquo;s native country, says Marion Miller, Micato&rsquo;s director of operations. &ldquo;Ordering a dish in an Indian restaurant is one thing&hellip;but going into an actual kitchen in India, seeing all the steps that go into creating that dish, smelling the aromas and then sitting down to enjoy it with, say, a view over the Taj Mahal&mdash;that elevates eating to a new level.&rdquo;</p>
<h3><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/exotic-culinary-tours-2013-1#artisans-of-leisure-vietnam-1"><strong>See the exotic food tours &gt;</strong></a></h3>
<p>More from Departures:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.departures.com/articles/a-taste-of-ancient-greek-food">A Taste Of Ancient Greek Food &gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.departures.com/luxury-lifestyle/top-american-chocolate-tours">Top American Chocolate Tours &gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.departures.com/luxury-vacations/worlds-most-bikeable-wine-regions">World's Most Bikeable Wine Regions &gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.departures.com/luxury-vacations/top-how-to-vacations">Top How-To Vacations &gt;</a></p><h3>Artisans of Leisure, Vietnam</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/50eb09abecad049d06000005-400-300/artisans-of-leisure-vietnam.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Following the S-shape curve of the country from north to south, Artisans of Leisure&rsquo;s private, custom Vietnam for Foodies tours take in both cultural and gustatory attractions along the way.</p>
<p>Trips start in Hanoi, where guests explore the city&rsquo;s famed markets, colonial architecture, historical sites and French-influenced restaurants. Next they hop on a traditional junk for a sail across Halong Bay, whose waters teem with prawns, oysters, squid and snapper that are staples of the local cuisine.</p>
<p>Visits to the former imperial city of Hue, a vegetarian Buddhist monastery and the herb farms around Hoi An follow (participants pick lemongrass, basil and cilantro and use them to make fresh spring rolls).</p>
<p>The final stop, in Saigon, includes both chef-led cooking classes and a street-food tour&mdash;and boundless opportunities for trying snacks like <em>banh mi</em>, <em>pho</em> (spicy noodle soup), <em>goi du du</em> (green papaya salad) and <em>banh xeo</em> (rice pancakes with pork and shrimp). <em></em></p>
<p><em>11-day trips (by appointment), from $6,810; 800-214-8144; <a href="http://www.artisansofleisure.com/tour/Culinary_tours_luxury_travel_1Vietnam.htm" target="_blank">artisansofleisure.com</a>.</em></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Austin-Lehman Adventures, Athens and the Cyclades</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/50eb0a34eab8eab323000003-400-300/austin-lehman-adventures-athens-and-the-cyclades.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Travelers who envision Greece as a never-ending series of secluded beaches, ancient ruins and whitewashed fishing villages won&rsquo;t be disappointed here.</p>
<p>The weeklong itinerary manages to fold in all the can&rsquo;t-miss sights: the Parthenon in Athens, the sparkling shores of Santorini, the cerulean lagoons of Antiparos, the ever-photogenic sugar-cube buildings of Mykonos. But it also provides an in-depth appreciation for the food and flavors of the region.</p>
<p>Guests make visits to groves and farms where they can sample local produce like honey, olive oil, feta and <em>graviera</em> (a sheep&rsquo;s-milk cheese).</p>
<p>They also take cooking classes&mdash;sometimes in the island homes of local chefs&mdash;and learn to prepare local dishes like <em>revythada</em> (slow-cooked chickpea stew), <em>domatokeftedes</em> (tomato fritters) and <em>tsipoura</em> (fresh-caught sea bream).</p>
<p><em>8-day trips (May&ndash;October 2013 departures), from $5,298; 800-575-1540; <a href="http://www.austinlehman.com/tours/athens-and-the-cyclades-islands-greece-tour-trips-83.php" target="_blank">austinlehman.com</a>.</em></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Backpacker Concierge, Egypt</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/50eb0ad369bedd870900000b-400-300/backpacker-concierge-egypt.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>Daydreams of an Egyptian holiday usually include lots of stock imagery: the soaring pyramids and Great Sphinx at Giza; the riotous, colorful crowds of the market stalls at Cairo&rsquo;s Khan al Khalili.</p>
<p>But until recently most travelers haven&rsquo;t wondered much about the flavors of this desert country&mdash;a situation Backpacker Concierge aims to change with its new bespoke culinary excursions there.</p>
<p>While guests on the tours can see all the quintessential Egyptian sights, they also partake in some truly unusual gastronomic experiences, including touring the country&rsquo;s little-known northern wineries; learning to make Egyptian specialties like <em>mahshy</em> (stuffed zucchini and cabbage leaves) and <em>duqqa</em> (roasted ground hazelnuts and spices) in a local chef&rsquo;s home kitchen; and, in the remote village of Siwa, pressing olive oil and making date honey by hand. <em></em></p>
<p><em>7-day trips (by appointment), from $1,700; 248-507-4666; <a href="http://www.backpackerconcierge.com/" target="_blank" title="Exotic Culinary Tours: Egypt">backpackerconcierge.com</a>.</em></p></p>
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/exotic-culinary-tours-2013-1#caribbean-culinary-tours-jamaica-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/jill-donenfeld-the-culinistas-2012-7How This 27-Year-Old Started Cooking For Gwyneth Paltrow And The Kardashians http://www.businessinsider.com/jill-donenfeld-the-culinistas-2012-7
Wed, 25 Jul 2012 12:13:00 -0400Samantha Cortez
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/500eb310eab8ea131800000e/jill-dodenfeld.jpg" border="0" alt="Jill Dodenfeld" /></p><p>Jill Donenfeld began writing the business plan for her private chef service <a href="http://theculinistas.com/">The Culinistas</a>&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;formerly The Dish's Dish &mdash; just three days after graduating from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/columbia" class="hidden_link">Columbia University</a>.</p>
<p>Six years later, the 27-year-old's company has attracted high-profile clients such as Neil Patrick Harris, Gwyneth Paltrow, and the Kardashians.</p>
<p>The weekly home catering business is now available in New York City, the Hamptons, Los Angeles, Malibu, and recently, Chicago. <br /><br />For just $300 plus the cost of groceries, the Culinistas will do the work for you. After the client completes a checklist online, which details the items available in the kitchen and the customer's needs and wants, the chefs create a tailor-made menu for them. They'll do the grocery-shopping for you, come to your home, prepare meals for the week, properly store and label food in plastic containers, and clean up the kitchen.</p>
<p>As an undergraduate, <span>Donenfeld worked as&nbsp;</span>a private chef for the family she babysat for.</p>
<p>"One thing kind of led to another, and all of a sudden, there were maybe <a href="http://theculinistas.com/sites/all/themes/thedishsdish/images/press-gothamist.jpg">four families I was cooking for</a>," she told Gothamist. She went on to complete an apprenticeship with pastry chef Karen DeMasco, author of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307408108/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=thebusiinsi-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0307408108">The Craft of Baking: Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets with Ideas for Inventing Your Own</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebusiinsi-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0307408108" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" />" and wrote restaurant reviews for <a href="http://www.timeout.com/newyork">Time Out New York</a>.</p>
<p><span>Donenfeld said that a&nbsp;</span>mixture of her rural upbringing and city life inspired her to start the business.</p>
<p>"It was the perfect storm of growing up in Ohio and eating dinner with my family every night, moving to New York City for college and falling in love with the myriad cuisines available in the city, topped off with a healthy lack of understanding for how difficult it is to run a successful business."&nbsp;</p>
<p>Donenfeld started the business with just $5,000 of her personal money and had a make-shift office in the back of a hardware store. Because she funded the startup on her own, a business plan wasn't necessary to acquire additional funding, but she still felt it was an essential tool.</p>
<p>"I created the business plan as a road map for myself," she said. "My main goal was to help people eat more consciously."</p>
<p>"There's a lot you can do without money. If, as an entrepreneur, you depend on money to grow your business, then you're probably going to run into big issues. Starting your own business is about being creative and making it work however you can because you so strongly believe in your idea that it powers everything."</p>
<p>Donenfeld promoted her business through word-of-mouth referrals and emailing media professionals. She also had a handful of connections through her apprenticeship and stint as a restaurant reviewer.</p>
<p>The young entrepreneur spends a significant amount of time focusing on interviewing the right people to join her team.</p>
<p>"The interview process is the single most important part of my job," Donenfeld said. "First I sit down with each chef to gauge their interpersonal skills and to get a sense of their backgrounds and their goals. If that goes well, we go through a cooking interview that sort of mirrors the service."</p>
<p>"Everything is judged from the minute they walk in the door&mdash;from how they present themselves to their prep work to the skill and creativity that goes into each dish. I also look at the intangibles like comfort in a new environment. It all matters when you are cooking in someone else's home."</p>
<p>There are currently six chefs in NYC, four in Chicago and three in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>The majority of clients employing Culinistas' services are families and busy, working professionals. Molly Schoneveld, who works in celebrity and lifestyle public relations, is a happy client:</p>
<p>"Jill's service makes something that's really luxurious&mdash;<a href="http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-dishes-dish-20100916,0,2016679.story">having a personal chef&mdash;affordable</a>," she told the Los Angeles Times. "You have to pick a week when you're really going to be home to enjoy it."</p>
<p>Donenfeld is currently focusing strictly on spearheading catered events and dinner parties, an area she hopes to expand on in the future. Regardless of how famous the client is, Donenfeld no longer makes house visits to cook. "The only person I would break this rule for is Steve Martin," she says.</p>
<p>She co-authored a book with&nbsp;<span>longtime Culinista chef&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.josetthg.com/">Josetth Gordon</a>,&nbsp;"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1891105507/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=thebusiinsi-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1891105507">Party Like a Culinista: Fresh Recipes, Bold Flavors, and Good Friends</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebusiinsi-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1891105507" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" />," which&nbsp;gives people advice on how to throw dinner parties for a variety of different occasions. During a five-month trip to Madagascar, she also wrote the book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0595425917/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=thebusiinsi-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0595425917">Mankafy Sakafo: Delicious Meals From Madagascar</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebusiinsi-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0595425917" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" />," which documents Donenfeld's food journey and the recipes she collected throughout different regions of the island.</p>
<p>Donenfeld plans to improve the business by maintaining a steady stream of clients and expanding to other demographic areas. Her track record proves that she isn't afraid to try new things.</p>
<p>"When clients ask us to cook things we haven't done before, we learn how," she said. "Sometimes we get some crazy requests&mdash;but we don't cook and tell."</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jill-donenfeld-the-culinistas-2012-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p>